Useful Information
Time Difference
The local time in Bulgaria is GMT+3 hours (one hour ahead of most of Western Europe).
Voltage
220 V
Alphabet
Bulgarian uses the Cyrillic alphabet, which was specially designed for the Bulgarian language. 24th of May is the day of St. Cyril (827-869), and St. Methodius (826-884), Cyrillic alphabet and Bulgarian educators (http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cyrillic.htm).
Currency Exchange
Bulgarian currency is called LEV (BGN), plural LEVA. Banknote denominations include 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 leva, as well as coins of smaller denominations. It is recommended to change money at banks or in your hotel. The official exchange rate guaranteed by the National bank is 1 EURO = 1.95583 BGN. Any exchange rate above 1.95 is good. You can obtain Bulgarian currency by withdrawal from ATMs, which accept all major credit cards as well as cards with the Maestro, Visa Electron or Cirrus logo.
Credit Cards
Visa, Master Card, Euro, Diners Club and American Express are accepted. They can be used for payment of accommodation, in luxury restaurants, nightclubs, car rentals, plane tickets, etc. However, the number of sites accepting credit cards is limited and many more common establishments accept cash only.
Working Hours
Hours vary greatly, but usually include these hours:
Offices - 9.00 to 17.00 (Monday to Friday)
Banks - 9.00 to 16.30 p.m. (Monday to Friday, often also Saturday 10.00 to 14.00)
Shops - 10.00 to 20.00 (Monday to Friday, Saturday until 17.00)
Health Insurance
The organizers will have no responsibility in the case of health problems of the participants during the meeting. Please arrange your international insurance in advance for the period of your stay in Bulgaria.
Nessebar
Nessebar is situated on the eastern Bulgarian coast, 20 kilometers north of Bourgas and 8 kilometers away from airport. The distance to the holiday resort Sunny Beach is 15 minutes by car. The town has car hire Nessebar services, bus station and a harbour. There are regular lines to all surrounding towns and resorts. Nessebar is dead end of the railway line Bourgas-Nessebar. The town is located on a narrow rocky peninsula, jutting out in the Black Sea, easy to reach by car rental. Its population is 15 650 people. The sea shore is low, up to 6-7 meters above sea level.
Climate
The climate in Southern Bulgaria is intermediate continental tending to Mediterranean. The average sunlight per day in September is 8 hours. The average minimum and maximum air temperatures are 15 °C and 24 °C, respectively. The sea temperature is about 22 °C.
Safety
Bulgaria is generally a safe country, and people are quite friendly. As in all countries, sensible precautions should be taken. You should behave according to common sense when you are outside of the main tourist areas, i.e. don't show too openly that you have money, don't dress too much like a tourist, watch your things. The most frequent crime that visitors may encounter is pickpocketing.
Food and Drinks
The variety in Bulgarian cuisine is based on the long history of the country, as well as on the long-lasting migrations of the tribes that founded Bulgaria more than 1300 years ago. The close contact with Turkey and Greece have helped us form very attractive and to some extent exotic national cuisine, including some dishes which cannot be called national but which are typical of Bulgaria only. There are three very special food items, which are unique to Bulgaria and have always been a part of it, back through the earliest of Thracian times - white cheese, yoghurt, chubritsa (savory).
Bulgaria was actually the first country to produce wine. Archaeological studies have found evidence of wine being produced in this region between 6000 and 3000 B.C. The Thracian tribes worshipped the god Dionysius as the patron of wine. With the establishment of the Bulgarian state in 681 AD the Bulgarians inherited the experience and the traditions of the local population in the cultivation of grapes and wine-producing. In Bourgas region, the warm autumn results in large quantities of sugar accumulating in grapes to produce medium-dry and syrupy wines. The first vine-growers' cooperative in Bulgaria was founded in Nessebar in 1898 and they called it “Saint Trifon”. Some of the most well-know Black Sea wines are the local Dimyat and Misket, also Traminer, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.
